Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates

Abstract

When a sow lies down in a conventional pig farrowing crate, piglets are often crushed as they are unable to move out of the way fast enough. This invention consists of an inwardly curved bar pivoted by the outer ends thereof between a pair of supports extending between the comfort bar and the bar immediately thereabove same. It normally is retained in a horizontal position by means of stops and these bars prevent the sow from lying down quickly as they interfere. With the bars in place, the sow has to maneuver as she lies down in order to get her back under one bar and the other underneath the other bar. This slows down the movement of the sow considerably thus enabling the piglets time to get out of the way. When the sow stands up, the bars pivot upwardly giving her sufficient room to stand whereupon they return by gravity to the original horizontal position.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a pig farrowing crate which includes a horizontally situated lower comfort bar extending outwardly from the vertical side frame of the crate and a further horizontal bar thereabove in spaced and parallel relationship with said comfort bar but spaced inwardly therefrom and in the plane of said vertical side frame; an anti-crushing bar assembly, said anti-crushing bar assembly including support means secured to said crate and an inwardly extending anti-crushing bar pivotally secured by the ends thereof to said support means said support means including a pair of support bars secured to and including upwardly and inwardly between each comfort bar and said further horizontal bar thereabove, said support bars being perpendicular to the comfort bars and said further bars and in spaced and parallel relationship to one another and means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar normally maintaining said anti-crushing bar substantially horizontally but allowing same to pivot upwardly from the horizontal position. 
     
     
       2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said anti-crushing bar is substantially U-shaped when viewed in plan and includes a pair of end portions and a main portion extending between the inner ends thereof, said end portions being pivotally secured one each to one of said support bars but adjacent the outer ends thereof. 
     
     
       3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar includes stops secured to said support bars intermediate the ends thereof engageable by said end portions of said anti-crushing bar when said anti-crushing bar is in the substantially horizontal position. 
     
     
       4. A pig farrowing crate which includes a horizontally situated lower comfort bar extending outwardly from each vertical side frame of said crate and a further horizontal bar in spaced and parallel relationship with each of said comfort bars but spaced inwardly therefrom and in the plane of said vertical side frame, an anti-crushing bar assembly for each side of said crate, said anti-crushing bar assembly each including support means on said crate and an inwardly extending anti-crushing bar pivotally secured by the ends thereof to said support means said support means including a pair of support bars secured to and extending upwardly and inwardly between each comfort bar and said further horizontal bar thereabove, said support bars being perpendicular to said comfort bars and said further bars and in spaced and parallel relationship to one another and means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar normally maintaining said anti-crushing bar substantially horizontally but allowing same to pivot upwardly from the horizontal. 
     
     
       5. The invention according to claim 4 in which each of said anti-crushing bars is substantially U-shaped when viewed in plan and include a pair of end portions and a main portion extending between the inner ends thereof, said end portions being pivotally secured one each to one of said support bars adjacent the outer ends of said end portions. 
     
     
       6. The invention according to claim 5 in which said means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar includes stops secured to said support bars intermediate the ends thereof engageable by said end portions of said anti-crushing bar.